Happy New Year people! I just had to start the new year calling out some of the bull I have read online recently….. aka a rant! Seriously though, let’s start the year as we mean to go on. With less crap information delivered in a fluffy way just to get likes or views or whatever. We need more honest and reliable information out there that empowers women's decisions and is evidence based.
I came across an article titled ‘’ 15 Things Unborn Babies Hate in Mom's Stomach’’ on BabyGaga and the contents were actually ridiculous. For anxious first time mums or anyone who blindly trusts a google search that produces a baby website this can cause more anxiety or worry. And that really annoys me.
So let’s dispel some crap myths on the internet about things babies supposedly don’t like in your belly:
1. When Mom laughs hard baby gets jerked around…….
Ok…. WTAF. When mum exercises, sneezes, picks up her other kids or has sex her baby is moving around too. Apparently there was a study with multiple women that showed baby wasn’t happy with this movement. Firstly, there is no reference to such a study on the site, which sounds sketchy as hell anyway. Also how the hell do they know that baby was unhappy?? Did it have a teeny middle finger up on scan? Did it tell them?
My advice is some parts of pregnancy can be rubbish and you may feel a bit crap. If you want to laugh til you pee your pants (which is more likely to happen than baby not liking your laugh) then by all means go right ahead. Who doesn't love hat feeling when you are laughing so much you can't stop? The happy hormones that are released when you really, really laugh are good for you and baby can pick up on these.
2.Poking your bump too much….
*Rolls eyes so hard they almost get stuck*
Do you know what is between the outside of your tummy and the baby?? I do. It’s a hell of a lot of tissue:
- Skin
- Fat
- Rectus sheath (medical term for the coating outside the abs)
- Rectus abdominus muscles
- Parietal peritoneum (first layer surrounding the organs)
- Loose peritoneum
- And finally the uterus (which is a very thick muscular layer)
So this is a lot of tissue, not to mention the waters in there too. Unless you are poking your baby with a machete…. It will be fine.
3.Going on a bumpy ride…
See answer to ridiculous point number 1. Same applies here. I can’t roll my eyes anymore. My head hurts.
4.Loud noises
‘’Listening to loud music or TV shows will not inspire the little guy/girl to become the best DJ ever or the best actor in history.’’
Again, lots of layers between baby and the outside world. And music is often used to stimulate baby with many studies linking it to brain development. Whilst I wouldn’t suggest taking an amp and blasting Slipknot at your baby I don’t think going to an Ed Sheeran gig or watching Netflix on loud is going to annoy your baby that much.
5. Stressed out mum = Stressed out baby
Well, finally something we agree on. What happens to you happens to baby in some circumstances. Stress is one of them. The hormones released when you are stressed can only have a negative impact on baby if it is extreme stress and over a long period of time. So if you have a work deadline, a little fight with your other half or are running late because you are sat in traffic then don’t worry. Baby doesn’t care.
Long term effects of stress are not good for you in general. They can increase the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. I am a big advocate of mindfulness and meditation. Get the Headspace app and do 3-5 mins every morning. It works!
6. Getting it on…
Here they don’t tell you that babies don’t like it when you have sex. Nope they talk about an extremely rare occurrence when your body still ovulates. Then you end up harbouring a second pregnancy. I mean come on, it is so rare I cannot even find a statistic. Ignore this rubbish and have all the sex you want!
7. When Mom doesn’t stretch out….
Babies don’t have a choice on their floor space. They move just the same regardless of the size of the uterus. Their patterns don’t change. If they want out then they will come out. Simple as. Not sure just how one routinely stretches out enough to accommodate the average 7lb human in our abdomen, if you know then please let me know!
8. Some rubbish about a peek-a-boo light…
Apparently baby will move away from the light you sit and shine in to your belly if it doesn’t like it. I personally have yet to meet a mum who does this for more than a few minutes at a time anyway. It causes no harm…. Doesn’t sound much fun either. But to each their own.
9. When Mom tosses and turns in her sleep...
Basically advising you not to toss and turn in your sleep, they compare it to an earthquake. Having seen the destruction of earthquakes I think we can say they are slightly exaggerating here.
I toss and turn like a nutter and I am not pregnant. Pregnancy generally makes sleeping in a comfortable way a thing of the past for you. This relates back to the bouncing or laughing rubbish that they spoke about earlier. Get comfy how you can… the baby won’t fall out nor will it complain about the vibrations measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale.
10. Eating too much spicy food
I don’t know about you but I bloody love spicy food. Like really love it. Especially a curry. But according to this article, baby tastes the food you eat through the amniotic fluid. So if your mouth is on fire from a curry then so is your baby’s….. I worry about people’s stupidity sometimes. Yes babies have taste buds in the womb and they get some molecules of the things we consume in their amniotic fluid. Yes they swallow the fluid. But do you know what they do not have, sight or smell to amplify any flavours. Which is predominantly how we eat and distinguish between things we find appealing and not.
Eating spicy food causes NO harm to your baby. It is more likely to irritate you by giving you indigestion or Delhi belly. Or if you eat it to induce labour and coincidentally it works, it may irritate your midwife when it comes to the pushing part!
11. Startling the baby…
Seems like they literally have nothing else to write about. Sneezing doesn’t upset your baby. The hernia you give yourself trying to hold in a sneeze may be annoying though! Eye rolling big time right now.
12. Sad Mom = Sad baby…
‘’Babies who are in the womb do not like to feel those horrible hormones and feelings that mom has inflicted on her baby.’’
Are you f*cking kidding me here BabyGaga?? Let me set one thing straight. If you have mental health issues which are linked to anxiety or depression you as a mother are NOT inflicting these feelings on to your unborn child. That makes it sound like a choice, which it is not and it pisses me off! But this is another post all by itself so I will address that another time. I just wanted to point out that if you are anxious, stressed or depressed you are not harming your baby. Depression can affect mothers and babies if left unidentified or untreated and is severe enough to affect other factors of your life. More to come on that another day!
13. Getting it on in the third trimester…
Apparently having sex in the third trimester means you clench your abdominal muscles and baby doesn’t like the reduced space in the tummy. Ok you are not having a 4 hour long orgasm in which everything is clenched. At least I highly doubt it. The tightening and clenching of muscles intermittently doesn’t annoy your baby at all. Crack on!
14. Bad tasting food…
You are probably a normal human who does not eat bad tasting food. See all points in number 10.
15. Babies cry in the womb…
Yes babies exhibit crying behavior in the womb. Ultrasound shows some facial characteristics that match crying. But don’t worry. Crying for newborns is a method of communication. So they are probably having a little practice. It isn’t because you ate a spicy burrito then had sex before taking a bumpy car journey!
So there you have it… I got on my soap box and had a little (kinda long) rant about some of the crap that is out there. Some information comes from a reliable original source. Some gets chopped and paraphrased in to tripe to publish on a website accessed by many mums and mums to be. Information in pregnancy and the postnatal period has to be delivered well and has to be correct otherwise we end up with stressed and worried mums and dads when there really is not need!
When you read anything pregnancy related I advise you go straight to the NHS website for gold standard evidence based information. What to expect, as long winded and fluffy still provides you with links to their references which is good. And remember, just because there is a study on it doesn’t make it legit! Most importantly of all, JUST ASK A MIDWIFE!
Nikki xx
Comments